Women’s volleyball went all the way to 5 sets with Grand Valley State in the semifinal round of the GLIAC tournament but ended up losing 16-14 in the final set, losing 3-2. Sophomore Jacqueline Smith had 25 kills in the match. Smith earned D2CCA Midwest region All-Second team honors for her incredible play this season.

“We knew we’re going to have our hands full, and we did, it was an incredible match … it came down to a fifth set and we had a chance when we were up 14-13,” Head Coach Mike Lozier said.

The ‘Cats gave up the next three points to the Lakers but despite the heartbreaking loss NMU earned a bid to the NCAA tournament and were going to be headed to Quincy, IL to face Quincy University in the first round of the tournament.

“The outreach we got after it was announced that we’re in was really special and it just shows the impact that our program has had not only on a small scale, but on a much larger scale – across our city and in UP itself,” Lozier said.

The team was excited to learn they were in the tournament and the hard work and dedication the coaches and players put into improving the culture and the overall experience for the players shows with each match.

“Being here for this is now my sixth season, I believe to have that moment together is really special,” Lozier said.

Unfortunately, the season came to an end Thursday night as Quincy University was able to sweep the Wildcats in a 3-0 loss that sent the ‘Cats home. Jacqueline Smith led the way for the ‘Cats with 15 kills.

The Wildcats ended their season with a 23-9 record with a barrage of players on the team earning many GLIAC awards and reaching many milestones such as senior Ali Yacko reaching the 1000 dig mark and senior Lizzy Stark reaching 1000 kills.